Historian Donald Payton discusses the history of Dallas outside the old Alamo Saloon and Browder Springs Hall during a walking tour of Old City Park near downtown Dallas in June 2023.is not officially a historic city landmark, something the landmark commission wants to change, but the city is pushing back on the move.to get the designation.
Agarwal said he didn’t know exactly how the historic designation could be delayed, but said the parks department will likely challenge the process. Parks and Recreation Director John Jenkins toldMontgomery said improvements like building repairs can still happen at Old City Park, they just now require prior approval from the landmark commission. She said the commission wanted to make sure the park “had that protection going forward with the change of management.
“I certainly hope that the parks department fully appreciates what’s wonderful about Old City Park and that they’ll be happy to work with the landmark commission to take proper care of it in the future,” Montgomery said.Old City Park was acquired by the city in 1876 and was the site of the city’s first zoo. Today the park, made up of a collection of around 25,000 artifacts and several dozen historic buildings, essentially operates as an open-air museum.